Getting By
by BadWolf Writer
Summary: The Football Captain, The Science whiz, The Billionare, the Student Body President, the Far Sighted wonder, the Outcast, and the Foreign exchange students. It's funny how posses form. Shield County High School better brace itself Between schoolwork, partying and romances, these seniors are just getting by. AU Teenage Avengers. Clintasha and Steggy, Pepperony, and Thane.
1. Welcome Back

Tony stark pulled up in his red Mustang, his music blasted across the student parking lot. He slid into the convenient parking spot saved for him and hopped from the car. At the sight of his friends nearby, he breathed in dramatically.

"Ahh, my good friends, the sweet smell of senior year!"

Thor, wearing a large flannel and jeans, approached the car first. Thor Odinson and his brother Loki had transferred to the school in their freshman year. His family moved to the are from god knows where. Clint Barton, in a tight white V neck and black pants, stayed on top of the light post he was perched on. A spectacled Bruce Banner was not far behind Thor. Tony flashed them a bright grin, a newly developed goatee forming under his lip. Tony was dressed in a black suit jacket and pants. He perched his sunglasses on his nose.

"Stark, my friend!" Thor greeted the young billionaire fondly, in his strange accent. "How I had longed to see you over the long sun season break!"

"Thor, I was busy in Hawaii. The babes there..." Tony cat called. "Banner, nice to see you too!"

Banner stepped forward to shake Tony's hand.

"Birdy, you coming down to say hello to me?" Tony shouted towards Clint. "I'm _extremely _popular right now. I'll sign your chest if you like."

"I'm good, rich boy." Clint called down calmly.

"The Hawkeye has been up there all morning," Thor told Tony.

Clint rolled his eyes at the nickname. He saw better from a distance because he was far-sighted. Thor insisted the ability was that of a Hawk's eye. Clint's eye doctor insisted he wear thick black glasses while reading. Either way, Clint lost out.

"Why are you in such a good mood, Stark?" Clint asked from his post.

"Because I am the Valedictorian." Tony declared.

"Why is that exciting?" Bruce questioned. Tony didn't give a crap about school.

"Because Ms. Pepper Potts is the class representative," Tony explained, "They didn't trust me alone, so they have me working with her for absolutely everything. Homecoming, Winterblast, field trips, Prom..."

Clint and Bruce groaned inwardly. Thor clasped Tony on the back. Tony had been after Pepper for eight years at least. He was one of two girl who had ever actually denied him. The second being the Black Widow. He didn't talk about that.

The boys engaged in conversation about their summers. Thor had hooked up with his new girlfriend, Jane Foster. Bruce had invented some form of nano chip hat could read your mind. He planned on submitting it into the school's science fair. He was three years in the running for first place. Tony had been a playboy in new territory. He was quite proud to have kissed fourteen girls on his time there.

Thor's younger brother Loki stood in the shadow's listening to their conversations. He wasn't one for joining in with groups of people. He preferred to cause mischief from a distance. He slouched into the collar of his dark green trench coat and trudged away. A sly grin was pplastered across his face. Something was brewing in his agenda.

* * *

Across the schoolyard sat Natasha Romanoff. She was doodling on an old notebook of hers, waiting for school to start. She had gotten there early, avoiding her foster father like the plague. He was rude and disgusting. She looked up just as her only friend approached her. She gave him a small smile. Steve was football captain. The two of them were unlikeliest of friends. They had met in tenth grade in an art class. It was the year before Steve had buffed up and started playing ball. He had stayed her friend even through all the criticism he got for it. Natasha was an outsider, earning her the name Black Widow. Every guy in the school wanted a piece of her, of course. She was beautiful, with her red waves of hair, emerald eyes, and pouty lips. She turned every single one of them down. The spider didn't need to keep around guys and neither did she. On top of that, the only guy she had ever dated had left her. It added to her widow status. There was no wound to the name. Personally, she liked it.

"Hello, Natasha," Steve greeted politely. He sat down next to her. "How was your summer?"

"Hey Cap. I spent it away," Natasha shrugged, "Away from that lunatic."

Steve understood that the lunatic she spoke of was her foster dad.

"Where were you?" Steve asked curiously.

"I was teaching at a ballet camp." Natasha smirked at Steve. "Where were you, Big Guy?"

"You know where I was," Steve's face broke out in an uncontainable smile.

The summer after tenth grade, Steve had visited London, England with his best friend Bucky. Steve met a lovely wavy brunette named Peggy Carter. They became great friends over the summer but hadn't gone any further. He had visited her again this summer but he was a buff and attractive man now. Natasha assumed things would have heated up a bit. She knew that they both had big crushes on each other. She smiled at the thought. Steve had been in love with Peggy and had turned down every girl who had come knocking. The cheerleaders were very disappointed that they couldn't have a shot with the team captain. He was the most dedicated lovesick boy she had ever met.

"Get some action, big guy?" Natasha quirked an eyebrow.

"I, uh, took her out on a date," Steve tried to suppress his grin to no avail.

"Have you two kissed yet?" Natasha asked eagerly.

"She kissed me right before I got on the plane," Steve said almost sadly. "Who knows when we'll get to do that again."

"So are you two..." Natasha trailed off.

"Yeah," Steve was all smiles again. "She agreed to be my girlfriend. We're going to make it work."

"Good for you, Steve." Natasha was extremely happy for her friend.

"She would really like you, Nat," Steve stood with a smile.

"She really likes you," Natasha smirked.

Steve hummed in agreement. "Well, I have to go. I hope my team hasn't caused any disasters yet."

He glanced to where a big pack of boys stood. "See you third period?"

Third period was painting class.

"Yeah," Natasha looked back down to her notebook. "See you."

* * *

Steve reached the pack of large boys that he was forced to call his team. They were brutish and rude, most of the time. Steve tried to disregard their personalities as long as they brought their best to the team. He'd call them out if they were being especially stupid, but for the most part he couldn't do anything about it. He made his way to the edge of the crowd where his best players stood. Thor, Fandral, Hogun and Volstagg were in a group bellowing over something. Thor was the vice captain to the team. The three were Steve's best players. Next to them, looking quite pissed off, was Sif. Sif was the only female player on the team. It had taken a lot of effort, but Thor had pulled enough strings with Principal Fury to get him to agree. Ultimately, Vice principal Maria Hill had agreed to it, claiming it was sexist not to. Steve held his hand out to shake his players' hands.

"Rogers!" The large guys greeted loudly. "Our leader!"

Steve helped up a jersey from his backpack. They had received a new name after their last winning season. The Shield County High School Knights were now the Avengers. The school had not won one game in thirty years before last year. Now, president Fury claimed, they were going to surge to victory and avenge their many losses. The jersey was black with a neon blue A in the center. Their new uniform was a big hit with the team and they folded the captain into a group hug.

* * *

Pepper Potts walked the hallway after the first bell in her new dress suit feeling good about the new year. She was a senior and she would finally be free soon. She was lost in thought when she spotted someone waving. She rolled her eyes as a certain shaggy brunette approached her. He was infuriating by nature. Tall, no cares, rich, attractive... Pepper placed a hand to her face. "What do you want, Stark?"

"Miss Potts!" Tony greeted with great enthusiasm. "I hope that your summer was swell!"

"It was fine," Pepper grumbled.

"Good," Tony grinned. "I was hoping we could get started planning homecoming soon!"

"Homecoming is not for a month," Pepper stopped walking. "What's with your sudden interest in school?"

"Do you care about homecoming?" Tony asked.

"You're changing the subject..."

"Answer me." Tony snapped.

"Yes, I care," Pepper sighed in response.

"Good, then I do too."

Tony walked away with a stupid smile on his face, leaving a dumbfounded Pepper standing in the middle of the hall. Pepper watched as he threw an arm over Bruce Banner's shoulders and walked into his homeroom. It was no secret that Tony had been after her since at least middle school. Pepper blushed and shook her head. She walked to her own homeroom: Latin Studies.

She quickly spotted her friends, Natasha Romanoff. Her red hair made her easy to pick out from a crowd. She knew very well that Natasha may not consider her a close friend, but Nat listened and she could keep a secret so Pepper really liked her. She could talk to Natasha about anything and not feel like she was being judged. She had the theory that the redhead secretly enjoyed their girlish talks, even if she were too strong to admit it. The corner of Natasha's mouth twitched as she saw Pepper approach.

"Why are you here, Natasha?" Pepper laughed as she sat beside her, "You can _speak _Latin fluently."

"Well, then, this class will be a breeze," Natasha replied with a shrug.

"You can tutor me," Pepper suggested.

"If you like," Natasha smiled a bit.

They sat sharing small conversation as they waited for the teacher to arrive. Pepper shared her summer internship with Natasha. She had worked for Stark industries as a personal secretary. She suspected Tony had a great deal landing her the job. Sometimes he could actually be nice. She had thought that it would be so he could see her over the summer, but surprisingly Tony had been on vacation the entire time.

Directly before the late bell, the last kid came into class. He plopped himself down in the last seat available, in front of Natasha and next to the strange boy, Thor Odinson. Natasha rolled her eyes at his lack of grace. Pepper smirked at her friend. She didn't miss Natasha's light, almost non existent blush at the new addition, despite her disapproving face. The professor came in shortly after. He was a scrawny man. His hair was thinning drastically, almost as worn down as his tweed jacket. He made the room smell vaguely of dust. He droned on about class policies for almost the entire period. Natasha's eyes were distinctively set on the dirty blond in front of her. At one point in class he shifted into Natasha's line of vision.

"Agita corpum tuum, caudex," she huffed.

Clint turned around, shocked.

"Did you just speak Latin?"

"I did," Natasha rolled her eyes. "If you didn't understand, I asked you to move out of my way."

"Sorry." Clint smiled infuriatingly at Natasha before spinning around in his chair and slumping down.

"Thank you," Natasha replied sincerely.

As soon as the bell had rung, Pepper rushed after Natasha.

"Barton, Huh?" Pepper asked with a sly smile.

"What are you talking about?" Natasha quirked an eyebrow.

Natasha didn't mind the strawberry blonde asking questions so long as they were not personal.

"I saw you staring," Pepper almost giggled. Natasha didn't usually show any attraction to anyone.

"I just never noticed that his arms before," Natasha responded seamlessly.

"His arms?"

"Yeah," She shrugged. "They're really toned. I suppose it's from archery."

Pepper hadn't even known Clint Barton was into archery. All she knew about him was that he hung out with Tony occasionally and had nice hair. Pepper decided not to bother her friend about it. She hugged Natasha with one arm before retreating to her next class.

* * *

Second period was Advanced Placement Trigonometry for Clint Barton. He was quite sure he would fail, walking into this class. Steve Rogers sat in the middle of the classroom. He waved for Clint through the people surrounding him. He was very popular as he had led the team undefeated last year. Clint parted through them and took his seat near Steve. The blond smiled at him politely.

"Excited for some math, Steve?" Clint joked towards his neighbor. They'd lived across the street from one another their entire lives.

"I've heard that Mrs. Johnson is a great teacher," Steve replied. "This year should be a good one."

"High expectations," Clint commented.

Mrs. Johnson walked into the room. She looked like one of those women who go home to a dozen cats at the end of their day. Her knit sweater was unflattering and Clint felt the precedented need to fix her makeup. Despite her physical appearance, Steve had been right about the teacher. She had very little class policies. She knew that they were seniors in an advanced class and that they were concerned with things other than math. You were allowed to leave the class whenever you liked, so long as you passed her tests once a week. Cell Phones and iPods were acceptable in her eyes. Clint was glad that he'd be able to fail with ease. He left the class satisfied, ready for woodshop third period.

A/N: This is just a bit of fun! If you like it, let me know! Review or PM me any ideas you want in here! It's not nearly as serious as my other fics. R&R


	2. Chapter 2

"Hey, Cap!" Tony Stark waved across the cafeteria with a smirk across his face. "Come sit with us, big guy."

Steve rolled his eyes and made his way to Stark's cafeteria table. All of the seniors shared the same lunch, so you can imagine the scene was already loud and obnoxious, and that was before Stark had started his usual mayhem. Steve's destination table consisted of Tony with his arm around a squirming Pepper, Bruce and Betty doing science homework, Thor and Sif arm wrestling, and Clint barton sitting at the end with headphones in his ears. Steve took a place next to Bruce. He pulled out his cell phone and clicked his contacts. He found his desired contact and clicked video call. Peggy picked up almost instantly.

"Hi Steve," She answered, a smile on her face.

With the five hour time difference, lunch was one of the only times they could have a word. He smiled at her lightly, almost sadly.

"How was your day?" He asked.

"It was great," and she began to detail her day to Steve.

Tony was bored with his conversations of science with Bruce. He peered over Steve's shoulder.

"Oh my god!" he exclaimed. He stole the phone from his friend's hand. "You exist!"

Peggy's eyes rolled from the other side of the phone. "You must be Stark."

"Oooh," Tony giggled. "He talks about me?"

"Only the worst things," Peggy replied, stone faced.

Tony looked over to Steve, "She isn't even phased by my awesome looks."

"She isn't phased by much," Steve chortled.

"Eight years of military school," Peggy replied. "Can I have my boyfriend back?"

Tony handed Steve the phone with an eye roll.

"I've got to go, Steve," Peggy told him.

"Alright, I'll talk to you tomorrow." Steve smiled at the camera before she hung up.

"She's hot." Tony blurted.

"She's beautiful," Steve agreed. He sat back and looked around the cafeteria. He spotted Natasha sitting alone and got up to talk to her.

"Come sit with us," Steve offered.

She looked up at him with a brow arched. "Me with a group of people?"

"They're not... that bad." Steve shrugged.

"People hate me," Natasha replied, "And it's mutual."

"Please?" Steve offered her a hand.

"For now." Natasha sighed and stood.

Natasha took a place across from the quiet Clint Barton. She saw Pepper smirk at her from the end of the table. She rolled her eyes, refusing to make eye contact with Clint. Pepper slid in beside her.

"What brings you here?"

"Steve," Natasha grumbled.

"He's too kind," Pepper smiled.

"Yeah, I guess." Natasha sat quietly from that point on, watching the events of lunch. Tony flirted with a lushing Pepper, Thor and Steve discussed football strategies, and she could feel Clint's eyes on her the entire time.

Natasha's day went on without much event. It wasn't until the final period of the day that anything interesting happened. She slid into her mandatory cooking class, needed for her fine arts credit, and slipped into the ack. She was the only one without a partner until the very last moment when Clint Barton fell into the seat next to her. He held out a hand, "Clint Barton."

Natasha took his hand tentatively, "Natasha Romanoff."

Clint sat down and the teacher began to go over cooking protocols. He sat still for about three minutes before he started to tap his pen against the table. An infuriated Natasha placed her hand over the tip of his pen to make the tapping stop. He looked down at her.

"I've never actually talked to you, but today alone I've been close to you three times," He remarked. Nat absentmindedly noticed his voice was nice.

"Funny how highschool works," She replied, turning back to the teacher. She went another five minutes before he spoke again.

"Is that a slight Russian accent?" Clint asked curiously.

Natasha was shocked. Not many people picked up her accent any more. "Yeah, I guess."

"So you're from Russia?"

"Originally."

"I'm from Iowa," Clint informed her, "I was in a community home."

Natasha looked up at him, "I'm a foster kid now."

She figured she could trust a fellow troubled kid.

"I live with my brother, now that he's emancipated." Clint said. "We live above his coffee shop, the Nest."

Natasha nodded. "Foster dad."

"Sorry," Clint told her honestly. He didn't need to explain why he was apologizing. Foster families sucked once you were older. They continued on with small conversation throughout the period, the teacher basically ignoring them. Natasha liked Clint, he didn't pry when she wouldn't answer questions. When the bell finally rang, they went their separate ways.

* * *

Next chapter will be more focused on Pepper and Tony! It's short, but these chapters probably will be! They're just supposed to be fun.


	3. Chapter 3

Tony sauntered into the student council room. He was early for the first time in his life. But Pepper potts had been earlier.

"Wow Stark, You're on time," the strawberry blond snorted. She was already planning out a budget for homecoming. The budget was tight.

Stark moved up behind her, arms on the desk to surround her. "So, Miss Potts, what are we up to today?"

"Budgeting, which you have no regards for." Pepper rolled her eyes and spun the office chair around, finding herself face to face with him. She blushed, "Well you've got me, Stark. Finally caught me."

"Do you want me to kiss you?" Tony's eyebrows knit together.

Pepper stuttered, "No-no?"

Yes. She did. She wanted it so bad but how bad would that look? After years of being chased by him, she had fallen for him but she wasn't ready to be ridiculed by every jealous girl in school. She would get over him after high school and she could focus on her future. She didn't need a guy.

Stark shrugged and stood straight again, "I won't take a gift that isn't given to me."

Pepper rolled her eyes, almost disapointed, and spun around again. "Homecoming theme?"

"Starry night," He suggested, sitting on the desk she was using.

"Overplayed."

"The Lion King."

"What are you on?"

"Homecoming: The trippiest night." He flared his hands with the title.

"No."

"What about a costume dance?" Tony offered. "Like an early halloween because we can't trick or treat anymore."

"Would people actually be into that?" Pepper questioned.

"I know that I definitely would. " He shrugged. "I can ask around if you like. I think it'd go over well."

"Alright," Pepper submitted to the suggestion. "Come up with what we'd need and ask around and then we can move forward."

"What's our budget?" He asked curiously.

"We've only got a few hundred to make this work. We're having it in the gym."

"Add two thousand to that."

"W-what?" Pepper looked genuinely surprised.

"Let's call it a donation," Stark replied cockily, standing up.

"What's the catch?" She asked suspiciously.

"No catch, just making your life easier." He grinned and backed towards the door.

"Thank you," She responded honestly.

"I'm off to do my fieldwork, Sergeant Pepper," He mock saluted. "I will return next meeting with beautiful plans to make your life easy. Await my return."

And then he was gone.

Pepper turned back to her paperwork, a light blush on her cheeks. God, that boy messed with her head.

Natasha stood in the wrestling gym. School was over, it had been for hours. She was the only person in the building as far as she knew. She came in because she needed to punch something that wouldn't fight back or result in being uprooted. Her foster dad would have kicked her out of her house but it was his crooked nose, yellow teeth, beer gut that her fist ached to make contact with. She punched until her fists were raw and yet she kept going. No one was around and so she didn't move to wipe away the angry tears that streamed down her face. The door creaked and she spun around, ready to run. No one saw her with her shell down like this. But she didn't run. It was Clint. Something about him wasn't like others. He didn't set her on edge. Rather than run, she turned back to the bag, hiding her streaked face, and continued to hit the bag.

"What are you doing here, so late?" She questioned.

Clint was silent for a moment. What bit of her face he had seen in the dark gym was unmistakable. She had been crying. His eyebrows knit in worry for the redhead. There was only one thing he could think of that would have her down here, and that was a bad fight at home. He had turned to fighting much of his own life.

"Clint?" This time her voice cracked ever so slightly yet she recovered quickly. He noticed. She was broken.

He walked towards her, stopping by her side. Sympathy would not help. Instead, he commented, "You look like you need to punch a living thing."

She snorted a little, "Well, you've got me there. Know where I can find one?"

"Well, seeing as it's just you and me here, and I have the written approval to be practicing, you could always fight me," He offered. "I promise I won't cry when you kick my ass."

He thought he spotted a slight, broken smirk but it faded. He brushed away a tear from her cheek. His hand was slapped away. Natasha looked at him with a wild look in her eyes. The cold look shattered and she fell to the ground in a pile. Her hands covered her face.

Clint bit his lip and crouched in front of her. "Hey. You want to talk about him?"

She shook her head.

"Then we won't." He said. "What can I do?"

Natasha stood up and beckoned for him silently. He had promised not to cry. When he was standing, she lunged at him. He blocked her lunge easily with a grin on his face. She shot him a challenging look. She assaulted his front, throwing punches that he could only block half of. The flesh under her fists felt good. She let her anger out on the human before her, a sudden blatant disregard for his well-being. Her nails scraped his arms. His side was blown by her foot and his ankles swept out from under him. He recovered and stood before her again. She wasn't letting up. Clint took the pain with gritted teeth. It was for her well being. He could stand here and take this for her if it meant getting close to her. He wanted to be someone she could trust.

Natasha threw a predictable fist towards him that he effortlessly grabbed. He twisted her around, holding her for a moment against him. "Can't let you win this so easily, Tasha."

She flipped out of his grasp and sent him staggering back with a kick. He grinned and jumped away from her next swipe. His muscles were taught under her fists. She was on full alert, her hands unwavering against him.

A particularly harsh blow to the diaphragm had him on his back on the matted floor. Natasha knelled beside him. Her fist stopped right before it slammed into his neck. A trickle of blood came from his nose. She bit her lip and looked down at him. He managed a grin back up at her as he propped himself up on his elbows, laughing.

"I'm sorry," Natasha sighed as she gestured to his nose. "Didn't mean to draw blood."  
"Do you feel better?" Clint asked in response. He was still smiling.

"Yeah, I think so," She managed a small smile back. His attitude was contagious.

"Then I do not mind a little blood drawn," He said honestly. "I promised I wouldn't cry."

Natasha was still for a moment. In a sudden movement, her arms were thrown around him. She hugged him tight. The hug put butterflies in her chest. She had no idea why she trusted this boy, but she did.

"Do you need a ride home?" He asked, an arm wrapped around her.

"I don't want to go there," She sighed, releasing him. "Dad's drunk."

"Well, they're shutting down the school in a little while." Clint said. "We can go back to my brother's place if you like. He owns a cafe. We can get some coffee."

Natasha hesitated. "I- Yeah, sure. Why not?"

She hopped to her feet.

"I hope you don't mind motorcycles," He stood up again. "Mine's up front."

Natasha's stomach flipped a little. The mental image of Barton on a bike was extremely attractive. She shook her head in response to him and followed him out of the school. His motorcycle was actually really nice, a deep purple in color. She smiled at the sight of him climbing on before he beckoned her to join him.

Helmet on, straddling his back and arms around his chest, they took off. She hugged him tight and she could always blame it on the speeds he was going at if anyone ever asked. Clint noticed her body against him the entire time. He grinned when her hands ran over her chest. He pulled up to his brother's cafe seamlessly, and hopped off. He took her hand to lead her inside. It would be a good night.

**AN: Sorry for the wait. I know I suck. I did promise more Pepperony, but Clintasha sort of writes itself. We'll see what next chapter brings! PM me your ideas, read, review and enjoy!**


	4. Chapter 4

Natasha and Clint sat laughing in the cafe. Natasha thought it was nice to laugh again. It was a real, genuine laugh that nobody got to hear anymore. Occasionally her leg would brush against his under the table, or their hands would meet while grabbing their mugs. They had even engaged in a mini fork sword battle. Clint smiled at her and she returned the grin easily. Sure, it was nine PM ,they had school tomorrow, Her foster dad would be furious and she probably shouldn't be trusting this boy she only just met, but she was really enjoying herself. She sipped at her tea as he began to tell another story about his brother and him when they were younger.

"So he thought that he could cover up his mistake by burying the goldfish in the backyard," Clint chuckled a bit as he recounted the tale of his dead goldfish, Gerard. "He built a tiny coffin and everything. Of course, my parents noticed the fish was missing. We blamed it on the cat."

Natasha smirked at him. "And you didn't think to get a new fish to replace it? They never would have known."

"You are a devious one," Clint grinned. "Where have you been all my life, Natasha Romanoff?"

He slung an arm around her. Rather than shrugging it off, she leaned into his side tentatively.

"In your dreams, Barton," She teased.

Clint almost blushed. She definitely was shaping up to be a girl of his dreams. She was smart and funny and on top of that she was mad gorgeous. He shook his head at himself. He shouldn't be falling so hard so fast. Her thought process was going along similar paths. She had trained herself so long and hard not to feel that she was almost afraid of Clint. But then again, she wasn't. It was confusing.

"Clint?"

"Yeah?" Clint responded, snapping out of his thoughts.

"Get your arm off me or I'll bite you." Natasha smirked with challenge plastered all over her face.

"No you won't," He shot back, squeezing her tighter.

Big mistake. She bit down at the heel of his thumb causing him to jerk back with a yelp. He nursed the wound in his hand, pouting like a little kid whose teddy bear had been lower lip pouted and Natasha's seventeen year old hormones egged her on to take that lip between her own. But she held back. Instead she gave him an indignant look.

"I warned you."

"It still hurt," He continued to pout.

Natasha rolled her eyes at him and took his hand with her own. She inspected the already fading bite marks before pressing a light, almost non existent, kiss to it. She gave him a pointed look, "All better."

He smirked and pulled his hand back. "Yeah, but my lips hurt too."

"Funny." Natasha rolled her eyes yet again.

He pursed his lips and leaned towards her. She pushed him away laughing. That was when Bruce Banner entered the cafe. He shuffled towards the counter, stifling a yawn. Barney was still brewing, he stayed open until two in the morning for truckers and late night clubbers. He made a lot of money that way.

"What can I get you, kid?" He inquired Bruce.

Bruce's hair was a bit riled and his glasses were not present on his face. He looked exhausted, "Strongest stuff you can get me, thanks."

Barney nodded and went to work.

Clint looked over Banner curiously before standing to approach him. Natasha stayed put.

"What's up Bruce? You look terrible." Clint clapped the boy on the back.

Eloquently put, Natasha thought from her seat.

"Not a lot of sleep lately, anxiety gets the best of me." He shrugged as if it were nothing.

Clint nodded with understanding before leading the boy and his steaming cup over to where he and Natasha were sitting. He gave a brief look for permission to Natasha before she nodded silently. Bruce sat down and they all sat silently for a moment.

"Want to talk Banner?" Clint inquired.

"Not really."

The blond and the redhead nodded. They could relate, both for their own reasons. Clint had nightmares of his brother's death and she had nightmares of everything else. They sat there that night, a mutual and unspoken bond forming between the three. They'd have Banner's back. A comfortable silence took over until it got too late, and they all went home in their separate ways. Natasha bit her lip and quickly hugged Barton before running off in the direction of her house. Bruce gave Clint an amused and knowing smirk before nodding his goodbye and splitting.

**_**

AN: I hope you enjoyed it! You know the drill: Read, enjoy, and, if you'd like, pm me and review! Let me know who and what you want more of.


	5. Chapter 5

"So, what's the catch Stark?" Pepper demanded. She knew the rich boy far more than she'd like to and there was no way he was doing this without stipulation. He had donated mass amounts of money, rented out the most expensive local hotel ballroom there was, which allowed every grade to attend, rather than just seniors and juniors, and had attended each one of their meetings on time. It was suspicious behavior for Tony.  
"I'm just doing the dutiful thing as Valedictorian, Miss Potts," Tony defended himself. "I'm trying to make Homecoming better for all of my peers."  
"Anthony Edward Stark," Pepper addressed him firmly, "Do not play games with me."  
"Only in my dreams," He smirked at the use of his middle name. "I see you've been paying attention to me. No one calls me by my full name."  
Pepper blushed. "Don't change the subject! What do you want?"  
His smile did not falter, " You know me too well, Miss Potts."  
"So?" She put a hand to her temple.  
"I just want you to consider attending Homecoming by my side."  
The strawberry blond was surprised. She'd be lying if she said she didn't expect him to ask her to the dance but his approach was strangely civilized. In the past he had sent her lingerie or full choirs in the middle of class. If those weren't embarrassing enough, he had even asked her out by flying a helicopter over the school and shouting some very risqué thing through a megaphone. She was taken aback by the simple request he made. Consider it, a part of her thought.  
"Right then," Tony interrupted her thoughts, "I must go. I have a charity banquet to attend."  
He made his way to the door. Before exiting, he turned back to face her, "By the way, you look beautiful today Pepper."  
It was moments like these where Pepper was inclined to forget Tony Stark was actually a rich, sexist pig. It was moments like these she cursed his name to the heavens and wanted to punch something. It was moments like these she fell for him, and no matter how hard she tried, she never could quite pick herself back up. No matter how many times his teasing and obnoxious behavior threatened to push her upwards, it never over compensated for the fact that she had it bad for him. She hated him for it.  
Pepper exited the meeting room shortly after Stark had left. She didn't dare leave until she heard him drive away in his loud black mustang. Pepper Potts always the school after hours. The halls were quiet and it felt like a privilege to be able to wander them.A faint echoing bounced along the walls. She wandered towards the source, no one had the permission to be here beside her. The thumps became louder until she reached the training gym. She swung the door open. There was only one person she knew that snuck into the gym after hours.  
"Natasha?" Pepper called.  
The thumps stopped. The redhead peeked her head around the corner.  
"Oh." She didn't look at all surprised to see Pepper. "Hello."  
"What are you doing here?"  
Before Natasha could answer, another head popped around the corner. Clint Barton. Pepper knew they were friends now, but it was unexpected that she'd trust him with her late night getaway.  
Clint answered in the redhead's place, "We're teaching our friend how to deal with his anger and beat the snot out of the little shits picking on him at the same time."  
Pepper raised a brow, "Who is-"  
Her question was answered as Bruce rounded the corner as well.  
"Oh."  
"Why are you here so late, Pep?" Natasha asked, moving towards her.  
"Homecoming planning, it is in a week." Pepper answered. She bit her lip. "Were you done here or..."  
Natasha could read her friend like a book, "Do you need to talk?"  
Pepper grabbed the Russian's arm and dragged her out into the hallway. They walked in silence for a moment before Pepper spoke.  
"So, Barton?" She was stalling her issues.  
"We're friends, nothing more." Natasha din't mention how fond she was of the boy. She was sure she didn't want anyone to know. She simply shook her head. "What's going on Pepper?"  
Pepper sighed. "It's Stark."  
"It's always Stark," Natasha pointed out. "When are you just going to give in and give the boy a chance?"  
"He asked me to homecoming," Pepper groaned. "And it wasn't even obnoxious. He asked me to consider going with him."  
"Sounds like a step in the right direction," Natasha quirked a brow. "He left it up to you. The ball is in your court now."  
"I know," She sighed yet again, "But that's the problem."  
"Do you like him?" Natasha asked.  
"He's a bit more tolerable of late..."  
"And you think about him a lot?"  
"It's becoming a problem!"  
"Pepper, the results are in," Natasha teased, "You're in love."  
Pepper got quiet.  
"Are you really?" Natasha wondered. "Well then, I don't see why you don't just say yes. It's a school function. What's there to lose? He can't try anything you don't want him to."  
Pepper nodded and hugged her friend. "Thanks, Natasha."  
"Sure," She laughed, "Now get off of me and go home."  
"Yeah, okay," The strawberry blond pulled away and looked at Natasha, "You go get back to your archer."  
Natasha rolled her eyes. "Don't keep the billionaire waiting, he does get bored."  
"Are you going with Barton?" Pepper asked suddenly.  
"No," Natasha looked up, "Actually, Steve asked me to go with him, as friends of course."  
"Does Clint know?"  
"No, why would he need to?"  
"No reason," Pepper shrugged. "Just wondering. Goodnight, Nat."  
"Goodnight, Pepper." Natasha waved at her friend before slipping back to the gym.  
"Tasha!" Clint greeted her as she reentered. "What was that about? We're not in trouble for being here, are we?"  
Natasha almost laughed at him, "No. It seems as though Miss Pepper Potts shall be accompanying Mr. Stark to the upcoming dance."  
Both Clint and Bruce appeared in shock. Natasha laughed aloud. Clint spoke, "What did the bastard threaten?"  
"Nothing," Natasha shrugged. "That was the charm of it, I suppose. He finally acted like a civilized human being."  
"Well, cheers to him," Clint replied. "He finally got the girl."  
"Guess the chase paid off," Bruce commented.  
Once in her car, Pepper pulled out her phone. She smiled as she reached the unused contact in her phone, Tony Stark. She clicked the name and compose new text message. She typed the message carefully before sending it. She turned the phone off and took off in her car.

Tony was in the middle of his charity banquet when he received the message on his phone:  
Mr. Stark, I have decided to accept your invitation and will attend the Homecoming dance at your side. Pick me up, Friday night at seven and don't be late.

Tony stood up, everyone turning to look at his abrupt outburst, "YES!"

* * *

**AN: So, Pepper is going to the dance with Tony. I wonder what will become of that? and Natasha is going with Steve. I hope Clint finds out in time. And Bruce is being helped, so that's good. Hopefully some Loki next chapter, and a bit of everyone together. Hope you enjoyed it PM or Review anything you'd like! Your favs, follows and reviews keep me fueled to write more, so keep them coming! **


	6. Chapter 6

Loki trudged through the hallways. The amount of school spirit made him sick to his stomach. Did these simpletons understand that high school was just a chapter of their lives, not the entirety of it? They spent so much time on such trivial activities, he wondered how much they were actually learning. When he escaped these vile halls, he would be someone. He had the brains and could rise to power of the cretins. He wretched as he spotted his brother along the brunette, Jane Foster. His brother had become completely just like everybody else. It sickened the gloomy teenager to no avail. It was the end of the day and his peers were all leaving to go home before the game. Such was tradition, homecoming game Thursday, homecoming dance Friday. Loki spotted the boy he was looking for.

Bruce was competing against Loki in the science fair, not that he knew so. He had won and led to Loki's demise every year. He beat Loki in every class they shared together. Bruce got better grades, teachers liked him more, and even their classmates preferred the quiet Bruce over him. He stalked up to the bespectacled boy.

"Banner." He sneered.

"What do you want, Loki?" Bruce asked warily. It didn't matter what Clint and Natasha had taught him, he wouldn't fight in school.

"Oh, I want a lot of things," Loki placed a hand to his own chin, "I want you to stop existing, I want to win the science fair, and I want-"

"Why can't you just leave me alone?" Bruce cut him off.

Loki narrowed his eyes, "Getting bolder, Bruce? I might have to cut you down."

"I'd like to see you try," Bruce challenged.

"Humans often confuse imbecility with bravery as you are doing now.," The foreign boy gave a sour smile. He was far superior to this mere boy.

Bruce had about had it with Loki. The boy had teased him since he'd moved into Bruce's class. It was never called for, Bruce always kept to himself. But he'd about had it. With a move Natasha had so eloquently taught him, Bruce socked Loki in the nose.

Loki stumbled back with an incredulous look. That little-

Bruce threw another punch, aimed towards the boy's gut. This time Loki was the wiser and moved aside. He moved to hit Bruce back but was suddenly tripped up. He stumbled into the wall, his injured nose receiving another blow. Loki pushed himself up from the wall, glaring. The curly-haired boy stood, looking grimly at him. There was almost pity in his eyes. Loki spat the blood from his lip at him. But it hadn't been Bruce that had tripped him, Loki deduced from the look on Banner's face. Loki glanced behind him to see the culprits that tripped him. The tall blonde and his sneaky red-haired partner. He was not a match for the two quite yet, but one day he'd be in charge of them. He'd be the one calling the shots.

"Loki, cut it off," Clint had just exited his foods class, Natasha by his side.

"Ahh, Barton and Miss Romanoff," Loki grinned, a bit of blood trickling from his nose. "How wonderful to see you."

"Bug off, Loki," Natasha bit.

"As you wish, fair lady," Loki glared before backing off. Imbeciles, all of them.

"I thought we taught you to beat the shit out of assholes like that," Natasha sighed. "But I suppose just the nose was enough."

Bruce gave her a sheepish look, "Not in school."

"We're going by my place, Bruce," Clint patted the guy on the back, "Care to join us.?"  
Bruce looked at the two gratefully. "Yes, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to come along."

* * *

Steve Rogers stood in front of his team. He glanced over the group of men and Sif. They were good guys, most of the time, but he felt the need to give a speech to them. They were too caught up in beating the other team in their minds. That was no way to play.

"Alright, crew," Steve started, gaining the attention of the previously rowdy players, "Tonight is the first game of the season. We're not playing to beat others, we're playing to win for our school. We're here to Avenge."

This elicited a cheer from his players.  
"Remember," Steve continued, "No fouls. You commit one foul, and you're done playing. I don't care how good you are, I won't let you play. That's not how we work."

Thor stood beside Steve, nodding at his speech. As co-captain he was just there to offer his support. Not that he'd want to disagree, Steve was the best player they had.

"We're giving everyone a chance this year," Steve looked at their only freshman player. "Peter Parker, You're going in first."

The small brunette looked shocked and a burly senior shoved past him. "What the hell are you thinking? He's going to get crushed out there! He won't do us any good, we'll lose!"

Steve glared. "In truth, Logan, the weak are never as weak as they look. A weak man knows the value of strength and more. He's a good player, that is why he's on my team. If you have a problem, leave."

Bucky Barnes was next to go after Logan. He slung an arm around a terrified looking Peter and rolled his eyes, "Listen here. This man got us to championships last year. If you think you can do better, than tell us. If not, then sit down."

'The Wolverine', known for his vicious tackles and steals, took a seat on the locker bench. As unhappy as Steve made him, he was a good guy. No one was ready to challenge that.

"My team mates, run a few laps around Fury's track," Thor bellowed, "You will prepare yourselves for our approaching battle."

Thor pulled on his shoes, shooting Steve a questioning look.

"I'll be out in a minute," Steve confirmed and Thor exited the locker room.

One boy had stayed. Peter. "Are you sure you want to put me out? I know what I'm doing, but maybe this isn't the right call for the team."

"You can do this," Steve gave him a reassuring look. "I know, now prove it to them."

Petter ran out, but quickly poked his head back in to say, "Thanks Captain."

His phone buzzed in his pocket. He glanced down at it while picking up his helmet. There was a new text and voicemail from Peggy. He played the message.

'Good luck at the game, Steve. I have my finger's crossed for you and I'm rooting for you from here. I love you!"  
Steve smiled and opened the text. It was a picture of Peggy in school, light blue and black war paint streaked beneath her eyes. She was wearing his old varsity jacket that he had left at her house by accident. It looked nice on her, as everything did. He smiled to himself and ran out to join his team.

* * *

"You can't be serious, Clint," Natasha slapped her palm to her forehead.

The two boys had left her alone over thirty minutes ago and were only now returning from his garage. Bruce had entered the room first, wearing only blue basketball shorts, his body covered in black paint. Clint followed quickly after, wearing black shorts, his body light blue. Natasha tried her best not to show any emotion at this. She had spent the better part of her life building a wall around herself, seldom showing any of her true emotions. So, when the incredibly well toned upper torso and arms of Clint Barton entered the room... Well, it was hard not to react to that. Natasha bit her lip and refused to look at the boy.

"Come on, Tasha!" Clint whined a bit, approaching her slowly. "I just need you to paint a bit on my back!

A part of her brain screamed for her to just do it, and the other squirmed at the thought of having to run her hands over that nice back of his but the wall she put up wanted none of this. She rolled her eyes at him, "Why can't Bruce do it?"

"My hands are black and he doesn't have paint brushes," Bruce peered at her from over his glasses.

Natasha groaned. Doing it for him was not a problem. The fact that she wanted to do it was the problem. "Why are you even doing this?"

"Because Stark said he wanted to," Clint shrugged, causing his muscles to ripple. Natasha groaned again.

"And you couldn't just wear shirts!?"

Clint sent a look at Bruce and then back at her with a sly smirk on his face, "Why, Red? Is my body too much for you to handle? You can touch if you'd li-"

"Just turn around!" Natasha snapped at him. He needed to stop offering things he didn't mean. She grabbed the paint from his hands, swiftly covering the bare area on his back. He shivered a bit as she touched him but the paint was cold. "There."

"Thanks, Tasha," He turned around, grinning that stupid grin of he took her face in his hands. She froze like a deer in headlights. He wasn't going to- Bruce was sitting in the- He wouldn't dare. He brushed her cheeks with his thumbs before pulling away to smile.

"What was that?" Natasha gave him a fuming look. Lesser men would have died on the spot.

"Now you're in the spirit!" He just laughed in return. Bruce gave him a nervous look.

"Clint-"

Natasha put a finger to her cheek, "Damn it, Barton! You put paint on my face."

"You look cute in light blue."  
"You have a death wish," Natasha growled.

"I don't have much self-preservation skills," Clint agreed, smiling before kissing her on the cheek. He ran for his door, "Come on! We'll be late!"

Bruce stood silently, "I think he likes you."

Natasha almost choked, but stayed stone still on the outside. She gave him an incredulous look, "I thought you were smarter than that, Bruce. Don't be ridiculous."

She swiftly exited the room leaving Bruce to smile to himself. Despite Clint's excellent aim and Natasha's keen ability to read people, he was always the one to see what others couldn't see for themselves.

* * *

**AN: Hope you enjoyed this! The football game is coming up next. Tell me what you want the results to be and who you want to see more of. As always, I hope you enjoyed it. Reviews are always nice, if you've got the time.**

**P.S) Those of you following, I made some edits and it reposted itself? Sorry for the extra notifications.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello my lovelies! I am so, so sorry for that huge break between chapters. I've been really busy with my Odyssey of the Mind competition (my team placed nineteenth place on a worldwide level) and school with finals and a crappy Algebra and Trig grade. Summer is upon us, though so I'm happy to say I'll be writing again! Again, so sorry.**

**Also, I made a mistake with the last chapter. The game is on a Friday, the dance is the day after, on Saturday. Read on!**

* * *

Thor grinned at his team. They were quite in the spirit this evening. Hopefully that energy would transfer well into this night's battle. He scanned over the bleachers one last time looking for-

"Oof," He let out a grunt as something jumped onto his back, taking him by surprise. He spun to try and see what creature had mounted him and found Jane standing, looking bashful. That could only mean-  
"Darcy, my friend, what are you doing?" He called back to the mousey girl clinging to him.

"I dunno," She laughed, hopping down. "Your tall, I'm short. I wanted a new view on life."

With that, she ran off towards the stands. Thor turned his confused gaze towards Jane, knowing even she wouldn't have an explanation. Darcy was not one to reason with.  
"We came by to say good luck," Jane offered with a smile. Thor grinned at her and pulled her into a hug.

"It means the world, Jane," He pulled back and kissed her cheek. "I must go, but I shall see you after."

"Of course," Jane replied and she kissed her boyfriend before returning to the stands. Thor took his games seriously and she wouldn't get in the way of that. As soon as it was over, he'd go back to wanting nothing but to hold her. She appreciated his affection, but it was nice to see him do his own thing.

"This is why I do not attend public events," Natasha stated indignantly and stood with her arms crossed. "This is god awful. Nope, not happening."

"Come on, Tasha," Clint persisted. "It took forever to find this seat and it's not that bad."

"What seat?" She glared.

"The one I'm sitting in..."

"And where do I sit?" If looks could kill, he'd be dead four times over.

"On my lap," He looked at her as if this was no big deal. Well, if he didn't think it was a problem then she wasn't going to back out.

"But-"

"I'm shirtless, not diseased," He teased her.

Shirtless, tempting.

Natasha grumbled as she sat on his lap. She refused to make eye contact and simply watched the game, even as his arm snaked around her middle to secure her.

The game reached half time and the Avengers were winning flawlessly. No surprise there. And then came Loki.

Up on the big announcement screen came a photo. Thor, Steve and Peter Parker in the locker room showers, butts to the camera.

Steve glanced up, blushing. Thor simply looked confused as to why anyone would have such a picture. Peter Parker's face had temporarily transformed into a fire truck and he looked about ready to die.

"Nice butt, Steve!" Tony called from the stands. This followed by a round of applause.

Then another angle of the young men.

Most of the guys cat called teasingly and girls blushed all around. Steve stood suddenly and started the trek up to the control room.

Next was one of Clint topless and Bruce in green boxers, getting ready for gym class.

Natasha bit back a laugh at the man underneath her. He shrugged and winked at Natasha. "No shame in sharing my hot bod-"

The redhead promptly shut him up with her hand.

Bruce had put his palm to his forehead in the Pep Band stands and Betty nudged him with her elbow teasingly.

Steve burst into the control room just as a picture of a sweating Pepper Potts appeared on the screen.

"What the hell is going on in here?" He demanded.

A very calm Loki stepped into the light of the door.  
"Just a little homecoming joke, Captain Rogers," He replied, no emotion in his voice.

"That's not funny, Loki," Steve glared at the boy. He never meant any good.

"I'm in the homecoming spirit!" Loki said with false enthusiasm. "I'm welcoming back all our favorite seniors for the last time."

"Watch yourself, Loki. Do not mess with us again. I mean it," Steve pushed the boy out of the booth. "Don't."  
Loki took his cue to leave. He was a punk, but he wasn't stupid and had no wish to be pummelled. He had taken his chances to make the idiots get their first taste of his wrath. This had been nothing, he had more planned. Just embarrassment wouldn't cut it.

Steve stopped the reel of pictures and tossed them into the nearest trash. He settled down with his team right before halftime ended.

The team was winning by a landslide. The team put in Parker again for the last quarter with less than a minute. They had a tactic to grab one last touch down. The seven points would put a record for amount of points lead to zero. They were going for it. Parker was going to stay on the outskirts, trip, seem weak. Then he would receive and run it the last twenty yards, something he could do easily. He maneuvered through the big guys easily. It would have been easy.

The band struck up some high strung marching tune. It cut through the tension in the air like a poorly tuned butter knife.

Tony and Pepper screamed and shouted like the enthusiastic Avengers they were. Pepper Potts may be stoic, but she loved football with a passion.

"This will never work," Pepper grumbled and Tony turned to her.

"Yes, it will," Tony replied indignantly.

"Oh? Let's make a bet," Pepper suggested.

"If this plan works, you have to kiss me," Tony grinned.

"You're on," Pepper replied, confident that she was making the right call.

They shook on it.

At some point in the game, Natasha had fallen asleep on Clint, uninterested in the game and unbothered by the noise.

Steve put a hand on the nervous brunette's shoulder. "Peter, you can do this."

"I know," He responded hesitantly.

"Let's go," Steve nodded as he, Thor, Peter, the Wolverine and three other intimidating players were sent out on the field.

They lined up the center of the field. Steve yelled hike, his players ran against their opponents. As expected, the other team disregarded the stumbling little guy and went to tackle the big ones. Steve threw the ball and it headed straight for Peter. He was about to catch it and the crowd was going wild. The band started up again. And the Wolverine attempted to catch the ball first. His hand reached up to grab it but it was still too high. His fingertips brushed it and the ball fumbled. Diving back to recover, he knocked down Peter and they both fell along with the ball.

They won with no record.

"Would you like to explain to me what that was all about?" Steve asked Logan in a cool calm that made 'the wolverine' want to pee himself.

"I-" Logan started but he got cut off.

"No, I don't actually want to hear it," Steve stopped him. "You've always have to be the top soldier, right? Can't let the little guy get any credit, right?"

"He would have missed it anyway," Logan argued.

"We don't know that, do we?" Steve pressed a finger into the boy's chest. "Learn how to respect orders from above and then maybe you'll make another team. You're done on mine. Three strikes, you're out."

The first strike was breaking another's player arm in a foul during a game.

The second strike was giving one of his own team mates a concussion during a team practice.

That was enough for Steve.

"You've gotta be kiddi-"

"I'm not," Steve replied. "Soldiers work as a team. We do things together. There is no 'I' in team."

Logan glared for a moment before turning with a, "Whatever," and walking out.

Pepper turned to Tony with a mocking smile, "Hah! I told you it wouldn't work. There was no way that asshole was going to let Parker get any glory! Hahahah!"

Tony grinned and rolled his eyes, "You win this round, Miss Potts."

Natasha woke up to screaming fans. At first she panicked, the last time she woke up to screaming her hometown . That was the night she'd lost her parents. She appeared unaffected on the outside, of course. As was to be expected from a hardened young woman. She quickly remembered where she was... and whose (really nice) chest her cheek was against. She jumped up to her feet, and stood in the aisle.

Clint looked up at her with surprise. She'd been sleeping soundly. He smirked, "Good morning, sleeping beauty."

"Shut up," She snapped and he just laughed.

"You got some... blue on your cheek," He gestured to the paint smeared from sleeping on her face, standing from his seat.

She groaned, "I am never going to one of these again."

Clint nudged her and chuckled, "At least you got a good nap out of it."

After the game, Tony ran up to Clint, Natasha, Betty and Bruce, with Pepper, Thor, Jane, Peter and Steve trailing behind him. He had that stupid expression on his face that told him he had an idea that he thought was totally awesome and probably really stupid.  
"Huge party at my house," He told them. "You guys in?"

Clint shrugged, "Yeah. Why not?"

Natasha grumbled something and Clint slung an arm around her, whispering in her ear. The rest watched with eyebrows raised.

She sighed, shrugging clint's arm away, "Yeah, I guess, Stark."

Betty and Bruce glanced at each other. Simultaneously, they nodded in assent.

Tony grinned before running off.

"Where is he going?" Bruce asked the rest of the group.

"I have no idea, Banner," Steve replied.

Pepper threw a hand to her forehead, "He's probably doing something really stupid."

"Isn't he always?" Natasha asked.

"For a genius, he's a dumb ass," Betty agreed.

Just then, as if to clarify the girls' suspicions, Stark's voice came on the loudspeakers, echoing over the crowd that was hanging around the stadium or filing out. "Huge party at my house, ladies and gentlemen! Casa de Stark!"  
There was a huge round of cheers and applause.

Stark's group of friends all shared the same look.

"This is going to be insane."

* * *

**End Note: So, a huge party at Stark's, eh? Sounds like a blast. Booze and teenage Avengers! Maybe some truth or dare? Drunken pool? I don't know. Leave some ideas for me! I'll pick two to write about and credit you. Anyway, it's my last week of school and my mum's car was recently totaled so she's researching cars, but I hope to have another chapter written and up by the end of the week! Reviews fuel my brain, so please, read review and enjoy.**


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